<p>Walmiki sparkled in his debut match yesterday, scoring a goal in India's 5-0 thumping win over hosts China in their opening match of the inaugural Asian Champions Trophy in Ordos.<br /><br />And the young striker from Mumbai hoped it was just the beginning of his career as he wants to emulate his idol on the hockey turf.<br /><br />"Yuvraj is my favourite cricketer. I want to be very popular and successful like him. People should know that there is also one Yuvraj in Indian hockey as well," Walmiki told PTI Bhasha.<br /><br />"I never had the opportunity to meet him (Yuvraj Singh) but I am his ardent fan. On his day he can change the course of the game single-handedly. He was also our hero in the World Cup. I want to contribute to Indian hockey as he did in cricket," said the 21-year-old forward.<br /><br />But the road to the national team was not smooth sailing for Walmiki as he had to overcome hurdles from the very beginning.<br /><br />He was part of the junior team's camp for 13 times before securing a place in the senior side for the China tournament on the basis of his good performances in the National Championship in Bhopal earlier this year and training camp in Bangalore.<br /><br />And for Walmiki the Asian Champions Trophy comes with an opportunity to showcase his talent in the absence of senior players like Shivendra Singh and Tushar Khandekar.<br /><br />"I know that there is huge responsibility on my shoulders. This is a golden chance for me and I am hopeful of cementing my place in the team after this tournament," he Walmiki, who has been a prolific scorer for German club T G Frankenthal since joining them two years ago.<br /><br />"When I started playing hockey the financial condition of my family was not sound. But hockey is my passion. My dream came true when I got selected in the national team. Now I am not thinking of anything else then good performance," added the youngster, who was a standby player in the Indian squad for the Junior World Cup in 2009.<br /><br />Walmiki's qualities with the hockey stick can be gauged from the fact he was the highest score for T G Frankenthal in the previous season, scoring 15 goals in nine matches.<br /><br />He also thanked chief coach Micheal Nobbs for giving him the opportunity to showcase his potential.<br /><br />"He (Nobbs) is an understanding coach. He likes to give chance to youngsters. I am thankful to him for showing faith in me," said Walmiki, who started playing hockey at the age of 10</p>
<p>Walmiki sparkled in his debut match yesterday, scoring a goal in India's 5-0 thumping win over hosts China in their opening match of the inaugural Asian Champions Trophy in Ordos.<br /><br />And the young striker from Mumbai hoped it was just the beginning of his career as he wants to emulate his idol on the hockey turf.<br /><br />"Yuvraj is my favourite cricketer. I want to be very popular and successful like him. People should know that there is also one Yuvraj in Indian hockey as well," Walmiki told PTI Bhasha.<br /><br />"I never had the opportunity to meet him (Yuvraj Singh) but I am his ardent fan. On his day he can change the course of the game single-handedly. He was also our hero in the World Cup. I want to contribute to Indian hockey as he did in cricket," said the 21-year-old forward.<br /><br />But the road to the national team was not smooth sailing for Walmiki as he had to overcome hurdles from the very beginning.<br /><br />He was part of the junior team's camp for 13 times before securing a place in the senior side for the China tournament on the basis of his good performances in the National Championship in Bhopal earlier this year and training camp in Bangalore.<br /><br />And for Walmiki the Asian Champions Trophy comes with an opportunity to showcase his talent in the absence of senior players like Shivendra Singh and Tushar Khandekar.<br /><br />"I know that there is huge responsibility on my shoulders. This is a golden chance for me and I am hopeful of cementing my place in the team after this tournament," he Walmiki, who has been a prolific scorer for German club T G Frankenthal since joining them two years ago.<br /><br />"When I started playing hockey the financial condition of my family was not sound. But hockey is my passion. My dream came true when I got selected in the national team. Now I am not thinking of anything else then good performance," added the youngster, who was a standby player in the Indian squad for the Junior World Cup in 2009.<br /><br />Walmiki's qualities with the hockey stick can be gauged from the fact he was the highest score for T G Frankenthal in the previous season, scoring 15 goals in nine matches.<br /><br />He also thanked chief coach Micheal Nobbs for giving him the opportunity to showcase his potential.<br /><br />"He (Nobbs) is an understanding coach. He likes to give chance to youngsters. I am thankful to him for showing faith in me," said Walmiki, who started playing hockey at the age of 10</p>